Losing Trust During On-Line Transactions

The conventional wisdom is the price rules the on-line world of ebusiness. That on-line retailers and auction sites' most important characteristic is their ability to provide consumers low priced goods. I believe that trust is more important than price.

Recently I emailed a number of digital photographs to a local Rite Aid pharmacy to have them provide physical prints in one hour. Six hours later I stopped by the Rite Aid pharmacy and tried to pick up my photographs - understand I was paying a premium price for one hour processing.

The photos were not ready. When I asked why, the person behind the desk shuffled some papers and then went to a computer screen where she pushed a few buttons. After a couple of minutes she told me that they had failed to check their in-box for a couple of days and that no one had printed the photos. She said I could stop back the next day because she didn't know how to make prints.

Later that day I logged into my email account and there was an automated noted from Rite Aide: "Your Rite Aid Photo Online order has been delayed. Due to high order volume, your order will require more time. We will notify you via email as soon as your order has been received at your Rite Aid store. Please wait to receive this notification prior to visiting your Rite Aid store."

Rite Aid lied to me. The delay had nothing to do with order volume. Per my discussions with the individual at the store, they had simply failed to process my order.

Here was my response to Rite Aid: "I don't appreciated being LIED to, even if it is just an automated reply.

I stopped up at the Rite Aide and discussed the matter with the staff. It was not "order volume" as you state which caused the delay, rather the staff didn't check to see if they had any orders for over six hours. Simple human error. Instead of telling me the truth, you LIED to me.

What other lies does Rite Aide offer? Do you lie about your drugs or prescriptions? Do you lie about expiration dates of your products?

You see: one lie undermines my confidence about everything you do. Trust is the biggest issue for individuals when ordering on-line. You may think it is price - it is not. It is trust. Without trust - no one orders.

You lost my trust. While I doubt this will ever be read by a human being, I am sending this into cyberspace to let you know that you have lost me as a customer for photo processing as well as prescriptions."

Bottom Line: I'd rather pay more from an on-line vendor from whom I am confident that I'll receive my product. Low price is no bargain if you never receive your products.